Edwaed p



(No Model.)

E. P. FOLLETT.

APPARATUS POR BENDING TUBES. No. 360,288. Patented Marm), 1887.

m, l "b H Il ll im UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ED\VARD P. FOLLETT, OF ROCHESTER, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES H. KELLY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR BENDING TUBES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,288, dated March 29, 1887,

Application filed September 16, 1896. Serial No. 213.728. (No model.) Patented in England August 2, 1884, No. 11,911, and in Canada September 10, 1884, No. 20,136.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. FoLLET'r, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Bending Tubes and Pipes, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the drawings accompanying this application.

My improvement relates to means for bending tubes and pipes Without crushing by placing the same on a grooved forming head or bed, resting the ends against stops, and then producing the bend by sweeping a grooved die over the forminghead. In general construction it is similar to that patented by me July 1, 1884, No. 301,106.

The invention consists in constructing the forming-head with ribs or corrugations, whereby the tube or pipe will be crimped in the act of bending and without any preliminary preparation, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the forming-head and its attachments in line .fr r of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a front elevation ofthe forming-head. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a piece of pipe bent by the apparatus.

A indicates the flat grooved bed upon which the tube or pipe is laid for bending.

A is the circular forming-head at one end of the bed and forming a continuation thereof. The bed has a groove, a, and the forming-head a groove, a', in which the tube B is laid.

C is a clamp grooved on its under side, and operated by any suitable means for holding the tube while it is being bent.

E is a yoke having arms e c, which turn on the journalsff of the forminghead.

G is a die or block pivoted to the yoke and grooved on its under side. As the yoke is turned the die is carried around in a circle, thereby producing the bending of the tube on the forming-head.

E is a lever by which the yoke is turned, and G is a corresponding lever by which the die is turned.

H II are two clamping-heads at opposite 5o ends of the machine, which are grooved at z' t to receive the ends of the tube. The ends of` the heads are rounded or convex, as shown at jj, to produce pressure on the sand, when sand is used in the tube, and thus compact it. The 55 heads are attached to screw-shafts 7c k, which pass through bearingspp, by which the clamping-heads are turned up or back. On one side of the machine the clamping-head is attached to springs .I J, which, as the tube is bent over 60 the form, bend and follow down with it, as shown at the right in Fig. 1. On the other side of the machine the clampinghead is attached to swinging arms I I, which can also be turned down, as indicated by the dotted 65 lines at the left in Fig. 1, thereby enabling the clamping-head to hold one end of the tube that has already been bent. Thus far the construction is similar to that shown and described in my before-mentioned patent. o

My present improvement is as follows: It has been found by experiment that where a forming-head with a smooth groove is used, it is first necessary to corrugate or groove the side of the tube where the bend is to be made, 7 5 in order to cause the metal to upset properly and crimp together; otherwise the metal will stretch unequallyand produce imperfect work.

In this invention the groove of the forminghead is made with a series of corrugations or 8o ribs, r r, which stand up a little distance from the bottom of the groove. These oorrugations are deepest in the center, and gradually vanish into or become flush with the sides of the groove before the outer edges are reached, as 8 5 shown in the cross-section, Fig. 2.

By the means above described the plain tube is laid in the groove, and when the bending tak es place the corrugations indent the smooth bottom of the tube and start the upsetting ac- 9C tion, which is then accomplished without difficulty as the tube bends, thus doing the crimping at one and the same operation with the pipe and provided with oorrugations n the [o bending, saving much labor and trouble and groove, as and for the purpose specified. doing better Work. Inwitness whereof I have hereunto signed Having described myinventomwhat Iclaim my name in the presence of tWo subscribing 5 as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, witnesses.

is- EDWARD P. FOLLETT.

In an apparatus for bending tubes and pipes, Witnesses: the combination, with the bending-die, of the WM. J. MCPHERSON,

forming-head grooved to receive the tube or R. F. OSGOOD. 

